Track sander



v. L. FRANTZ TRACK SANDER Julylsl, 1945.

Filed Dec. 6, 1943 PatentedA July 31, 1945 UNITED sm'ias 6 Claims.

My invention relates to track Sanders and more particularly to valvesfor operating the sander.

Sanding systems generally employed on all rail- 'roads and manystreetrailways include a sand trap which receives air of other fluid underpressure for discharging the sand therefrom on to the track. To preventthe sand from becoming clogged in the trap a momentary blast of aircommonly referred to as cleaning air is generally delivered' to the sandtiap at the beginning and close of the sanding operation. l 'I'heprincipal object of the invention is to pro-- vide a simple and reliablevalve under the manual control of the operator for supplying air to thesand trap for causing sand to discharge therefrom and for also supplyinga cleaning blast of air to the sand trap at the beginning and at the endofthe sanding operation.v

A primary feature of the invention consists in providing the sandervalve with a main valve member for controlling the flow of sanding airto the sand trap and in associating therewith an auxiliary valve memberwhich automatically functions during the intervals the main valve membermoves to open and closed positions to permit cleaning air to pass to thesand trap.

Another-feature ofthe invention consists in vproviding the sander valvewith a rotatable member for simultaneously moving the main andauxiliaryvalves in opposite directions.

Other and-more specific features of the invention, residing invadvantageous forms, combinations and relations of parts, willhereinafter appear and be pointed out in the claims.

In the drawing, illustrating a prefered embodiment ot the invention, I I

Figure 1 is a diagrammatic view showing the connections between thesander valve and the sand trap andair reservoir.

Figure 2 is a vertical sectional view of the sander valve.Y

Referring more particularly to the drawing, I indicates the body of thesander valve which has two laterally spaced chambers 2 and l respectively. Chamber 2, which may be designated asthemainchambertodistinguishitfromthe chamber l which may be designatedas the auxiliary chamber, is provided Vin its upper portion with anoutlet port 4 to which is connected a pipe s for nipplvlns sending airto a sand trap .t which may be of any desired or preferred construction.The main and auxiliary'chambers of the valve bodyare connected by apassageway 1 and the upper portion of the auxiliary chamber 3 is formedwith anoutlet port l which is connected to a pipe 9 for supplyingcleaning air to the sand trap.

Intermediate the two chambers the valve body may be advantageouslyprovided in its lower portion` with an inlet port I0 which is connectedby a pipe I I to a reservoir or other suitable source I2 of compressedair or other huid pressure. The inlet port communicates with the lowerend of the main chamber 2 by a passageway I3.

Mounted in the main chamber 2 and operatively interposed between theinlet I3 and the outlet port 4 for sanding air is a main reciprocatingvalve I4. This valve is preferably a so-called "wing" valve and isprovided'with a conical portion I5 for cooperating with a conical valveseat I6 formed in the chamber 2 below the outlet port 4 and theiadjacentend of the passageway l. Interposed between the lower end of the valveand a removableplug -I l which closes the lower end of chamber 2 is acoil spring I8 whichvtogether withthe uid pressure in the lower portionof the chamber normally serves to maintain the valve in closed position.

Extending upwardly from the conical portion the stem may be moveddownwardly to move the valve from closed to open position.

A valve 20. similar to valve i4, is reciprocably mounted withinchamber/3. This valve has a conical portion 2i for cooperating 'with acorrespondingly shaped valve seat 22 formed in chamber 2 intermediatethe outlet port 8 and the adjacent end of the transverse passageway l.spring 23 is interposed between the lower end of valve and a removableplug 24 which closes the lower end of the auxiliary chamber 3. Ex-

tending upwardly from the conical portion 2i of the valve is a stem 25which projects through an opening in the top wall of the valve body.

-Pivotally mounted on the valve body is an operating member 26 having ahandle portion 2l and apair of oppositely proJecting arms 28 and 29respectively. The outer ends of these arms are adapted to cooperate withthe upper ends of the valve stems I9 and 25 for actuating the respectivevalves and the armngement of the arms is such that whenthe operatingmember 26 'assumes a.

position enabling one of the valves to close the y other valve will beheld in an open position. Thus when one valve is closed the other valvewill be open. As valve vI4 is urged to closed position by the combinedaction of spring I8 and of the iiuld pressure, as heretofore explained,and valve 20 is only subjected to the force of spring 23, valve Ilnormally occupies closed position while valve 20 normally occupies openposition, being held in that position against action of its spring bythe operating member 26. Thus the fluid pressure from the reservoir isnormally prevented from passing through both of the outlet ports 4 and 8to the sand trap with which it is connected.

When the operator starts to move the handle of the operating member tothe left, as viewed in Figure 2, valve I4 is forced from its seat I6thus allowing the reservoir pressure to iiow through the sanding outlet'port 4 and through passageway l into chamber 3. As valve 20 must move asubstantial distance before it assumes fully closed position the fluidpressure which flows into chamber 3 through the passageway 1 flows outof the cleaning port 8 during the interval the valve is moving from opento closed position. As soon as valve 20 closes, however, the cleaningal1` will be cut off but the sanding air will continue to flow throughoutlet port 4.

When the operating member 26 is moved back to its normally inoperativeposition valve 20 is immediately moved from its seat and iluid pressurewill again pass through the cleaning port 8 until the valve I4 is fullyclosed, at Which time fluid pressure is cut oil from both outlet ports.It is thus to be seen that a cleaning blast is automatically deliveredto the sand trap at the beginning and at the close of the sandingoperation.

Various modifications in structural details of the particular embodimentof the invention herein illustrated and described may be made withoutdeparting from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in theappended claims.

What I claim is:

1. A track sander valve for controlling the operation of a fluidpressure operated sand trap of the character adapted to receive a blastof fluid pressure for cleaning the trap, said valve comprising a valvebody having an inlet port adapted to be connected to a source of fluidpressure and having two outlet ports respectively adapted to beconnected to the sand trap, valve means normally disposed in closedposition preventing the flow of uid pressure from the inlet port to bothof said outlet ports, additional valve means normally disposed in openposition for controlling the ilow of fluid pressureto one of said outletports, spring means normally urging both of said valve means towardclosed position, means for moving said normally closed valve means toopen position and for simultaneously permitting the normally open valvemeans to assume closed position whereby fluid pressure is permitted toflow through both of said outlet ports during the interval said normallyopen valve moves from open to closed position.

2. A track sander valve for controlling the opy eration of a fluidpressure operated sand trap of the character adapted to receive a blastof fluid pressure for cleaning the trap, said valve comprising a valvebody having an inlet port adapted to be connected to a source of fluidpressure and having two outlet ports respectively adapted to beconnected to the sand trap, valve means normally disposed in closedposition preventing the flow of fluid pressure to both of said outletports, additional valve means normally disposed in open position forcontrolling the flow of uid pressure to only one of said ports, aplurality of lspring means respectively adapted to normally urge saidvalve means toward closed position, means for normally holding saidadditional valve means in open position, and operating means for movingsaid normally closed valve means to open position and for simultaneouslyactuating said holding means to permit the normally open valve means tomove to closed position whereby fluid under pressure may flow throughboth of said outlet ports during the interval said normally open valvemoves from open to closed position.

3. .A track sander valve for controlling the operation of a fluidpressure operated sand trap of the character adapted to receive a blastof fluid pressure for cleaning the trap, said valve comprising a valvebody having an inlet port adapted to be connected to a source of fluidpressure and having two laterally spaced chambers respectively havingoutlet ports adapted to be connected to the sand trap, normally openvalve means operatively interposed between said outlet ports, normallyclosed valve means operatively interposed between the inlet port andboth of said outlet ports, and means for simultaneously moving both ofsaid valve means in opposite directions to cause the normally open valvemeans to assume closed position as the normally closed valve meansassumes open position whereby during movement of said valve means bothof said outlet ports are in open communication with said inlet port.

4, A track sander valve for controlling the operation of a fluidpressure operated sand trap of the character adapted to receive a blastof fluid pressure for cleaning the trap at the beginning and at the endof the sanding operation, said valve comprising a valve body having aninlet port adapted to be connected to a source of uid pressure andhaving two outlet ports respectively adapted to be connected to the sandtrap, normally open valve means operatively interposed between saidoutlet ports, normally closed valve means operatively interposed betweenthe' inlet port and both of said outlet ports, and means including amember rotatably mounted on said valve body for simultaneously movingsaid valve means in opposite directions whereby when one valve moves toclosed position the other valve moves to open position and both outletports are in open communication with the inlet port during the intervalthe valve means are moving from one position to the other.

5. A track sander valve for use with a sand trap adapted to receive airfor sanding and a blast of air for cleaning at the beginning and at theclose of each sanding operation, said valve comprising a valve bodyhaving an inlet port adapted to receive air under pressure and having anoutlet port for the sanding air and an outlet port for the cleaning air,said sanding and cleaning ports being serially arranged with the sandingport lovcated between the cleaning port and the inlet port, normallyopen valve means operatively interposed between the sanding and cleaningports, normally closed valve means operatively interposed between theinlet port and the sanding air port, and means cooperable with saidvalve means for simultaneously moving them in opposite directions toclose the open valve means as the closed valve means is being openedwhereby both of said valve means are open during the intervals they arebeing moved to and from their normal positions.

6. A track sander valve for use with a sand trap adapted to receive airfor sanding and a blast of air for cleaning at the beginning and at theclose of each sanding operation, said valve comprising a valve bodyhaving an inletport adapted to receive air under pressure, a pair oflaterally spaced chambers in the valve body, one of said chambers havingan outlet port for the sanding air and the other of said chambers havingan outlet port for cleaning air, a valve in each of said chambers, thevalve in the chamber havlng the sanding port being normally closed andthe valve in` the chamber having the cleaning port being normally open,spring means normally urging each of said valve means toward 10 closedposition, and means rotatably mounted upon said valve casing forsimultaneously cooperating with saidvalve means to cause the closedValve to open as the open valve closes whereby air will ovv through boththe sanding and the cleaning ports during the intervals said valves arebeing moved to and from their normal positions.

VIRGIL L. FRANTZ.

